Boys Basketball: Rich Wehman leads Loyola past Niles West

Updated: February 7, 2012 10:02PM

Loyola junior Richie Wehman scored a team-high 19 points, 12 above his average, and filled in admirably at point guard as the Ramblers held off Niles West 60-54 in a nonconference game Tuesday in Wilmette.

Wehman ran the point in the second half after starter James Clarke went out with a hip injury. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Ramblers (9-14) mostly maintained an advantage.

“I’m really excited about how Wehman played,” Loyola coach Tom Livatino said. “He scored, was aggressive, he played under control and was gutty. He hasn’t played point all year. But he did a great job in all areas. He took ownership of the team.”

Sophomore Jack Morrissey scored 17 points for the Ramblers and Peter Pujals added 13. The Ramblers hit eight three pointers in the contest.

Pujals had nine points in the third quarter, including a momentum-building, length-of-the-court layup to end the frame, which put the home team up 44-36.

The junior had just one hoop in the fourth, but it was a big one, a driving layup with 59 seconds remaining, which put the Ramblers up 56-51 after the Wolves had cut the lead to three points.

Pujals said it was important for Loyola to win a close game after losing several recently.

“We’ve been playing pretty well. We’ve been playing hard. But it feels much better when you actually win,” he said. “Hopefully this will get us on a streak, get us on a little roll. It’s good to get a win.”

Niles West (3-18) was by led by senior DJ Harris, who had 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Junior Joe Younan added 11.

A Harris basket with 1:36 remaining in the third brought NW to within two, 38-36. But the visitors then allowed the Ramblers to score the final six points of the quarter.

“I sound like a broken record, but it’s that same thing (every game): a little stretch here, a little stretch there where we just do some stupid things and don’t play the way we normally play. Then we’re chasing the game.” Niles West head coach Bob Williams said. “We’re playing hard, but there is something missing. As a coach, I haven’t found that yet. But I’ll keep looking and we’ll keep trying.”

Loyola visits Fenwick at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Niles West travels to Glenbrook South at 6 p.m. Friday.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.